You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Du Zhenxiong escorted Chen Yang all the way to the heavy, silver-gray door at the entrance of the passage.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you. If you need anything next time, just use this number to contact Blackie; you'll be able to find me, Mr. Du."

He handed Chen Yang a magnetic card that had no markings and only a string of numbers that looked like codes.

"Thank you so much for your patronage, Mr. Du! We'll definitely be working together long-term!"

Chen Yang smiled warmly and personally pushed the shelf containing the medicine, following the guide as they left the heavily guarded underground space.

Only after driving away from the radiation range of the old Dingfeng factory did Chen Yang's enthusiastic smile completely disappear, his eyes turning icy cold. The back seat was piled with drug samples he'd obtained from Lao Gui.

"Team River, the samples have arrived."

The location is the third basement level of the former Dingfeng Chemical Plant in the west of the city. It's confirmed to be a large-scale pharmaceutical storage and transportation center, not the source. The owner's code name is "Old Ghost," and his real name is Du Zhenxiong. He's extremely vigilant, and there's definitely someone else behind him. I haven't taken action against him yet; I'm playing the long game. I've obtained his contact card.

When Chen Yang brought the batch of valuable but basic medicines back to their temporary base in the city—a secluded suite in a star-rated hotel—Jiang He, Liu Yu, Qiu Niu, a pale-faced Xing San, and a curious yet nervous Su Meng had already returned.

Jiang He looked at the large insulated box and several sealed metal containers behind Chen Yang. His expression showed no surprise, but rather a hint of solemnity and...exhaustion.

"You're back? It seems... our 'harvest' today was quite similar."

Chen Yang frowned.

"You too?"

Qiu Niu's usually cynical face was unusually clouded with gloom. He walked over and unzipped a large travel bag he had brought and placed in the corner—whoosh!
Inside, a dozen or so items were poured out that were almost identical to the basic medicine containers Chen Yang had brought back, but with slightly different packaging! Even the scattered blue concentrated medicine tubes were almost identical!

Liu Yu leaned against the window, arms crossed, the cool moonlight outlining her tall figure. She didn't speak, but nodded slightly with her chin. On the table were several fragments of new magnetic cards and a pile of cash "props." The magnetic cards were subtly different in style from the one in Chen Yang's hand.

Xing San collapsed onto the sofa, his face pale, clutching his stomach. He was clearly exhausted and extremely frustrated. He weakly pointed to an open, exquisite little suitcase on the floor, inside which were neatly arranged dozens of tubes of special concentrated medicine that glowed with a purple light.

"I... damn it... almost got targeted by those ruthless guys... spent almost three hundred to get this stuff from some bastard hiding in the basement of the small commodities market... they said it's more effective, but who knows what it is..."

Even Su Meng added in a low voice.

"Brother Chen Yang, the place I went to with Teacher Xing San... it looked like an old warehouse slated for demolition, but down there... down there was a small maze, and there were people guarding it. We saw them moving similar boxes from quite a distance..."

Jiang He walked to the center of the room, looking at the drug samples brought back from different directions but with highly similar shapes, his eyes sharp as knives.

"It's not 'like,' it's 'exact'."

He tapped a city map spread out on the table with his fingertip. More than a dozen points scattered in different corners of the city were marked on it with red and blue pens.

"We visited eleven locations today, identifying the most likely 'circulation points' based on various intelligence reports and preliminary investigations."

Every single one of them was arranged like a rat hole! Looking at the dilapidated warehouses, offices, and even the run-down corners of some crappy arcade backstage area and logistics company transit station!
And the result? Every single time, we had to spend money, pretend to be buyers, and meet with guys at different levels, all equally wary! And in the end, all we got was this kind of stuff!

His tone was filled with suppressed anger.

“Different packaging! Different levels of management! Different levels of ‘security doors’! Some were disguised as the back wall of a boiler room, some were hidden in the mezzanine of an abandoned train car! Some were even fucking hidden under a public toilet in a park! But once you got inside…”

He took a deep breath.

"It's all the same trick! A meticulously disguised internal structure! A modern office area! And it all leads to some damn underground warehouse or transit hub!"
They've woven a giant spider web beneath the city! Each hideout is like a node in this web! The things we bought with our money, aside from slight differences in batch numbers and packaging on the bottles and jars, are essentially the same! They're all secondary distribution products or repackaged versions of the Heavenly Alliance's batch of potions!

Liu Yuqing's cold voice rang out.

"Layer upon layer of buffers, multiple layers of cover. The real R&D and large-scale production bases... are tightly wrapped in these 'false eyes' and 'false passages' that are spread like sieves deep inside."

Without cutting this network and identifying the key figures at the core nodes, we will never reach the true 'nest'. Currently, we can only trace the upstream of each of these outposts to mid-level agents like 'Old Ghost,' 'Iron Hand,' and 'Ghost-Faced Fox,' who are responsible for collecting money today.

Who are their suppliers? Where did the drugs originate from and where were they distributed? Nothing found!

"Sure enough!"

Chen Yang recounted in detail his encounter with Du Zhenxiong and his visit to the underground transfer center at the former site of Dingfeng, especially the different levels of liquid storage tanks and the massive scale of the transfer.

He took out the magnetic card.

“These people all have bigger and stronger superiors behind them, and they are likely to be competitors or have different channels. The ‘old ghost’ Du Zhenxiong that I’ve contacted is obviously in charge of a large transit center and high-end distribution point.”

He is extremely vigilant. Trying to extract information about your superiors directly from him is too risky and could easily lead to being betrayed.

So I chose to 'cooperate' with him, leaving a thread running.

Su Meng looked at the pile of medicines in the room, her face turning pale.

"Then... what do we do now? We've bought so much useless stuff..."

"It's not necessarily useless."

Chen Yang walked over and picked up the purplish-glowing concentration tube that Xing San had spent a "huge sum" to obtain, and carefully observed the color of the viscous fluid and the shape of the sediment inside under the light.

"This is a higher purity basic model. Although it is not quite at the 'red soup' level, its effects far exceed those of ordinary products."

It's likely closer to the semi-finished product diluted after the first few stages of production. By combining the sample batches and packaging details we each obtained, and having the 'Tiangong' team conduct a thorough comparative analysis, we might be able to reverse-engineer their dilution ratios, factory packaging cycles, and even… some traces of their transportation routes!

Qiuniu rubbed his temples in frustration.

"So, all we can do now is continue casting a wide net? Throw money at these mid-level agents and extract intelligence from them? That's too inefficient! Besides, today's buying spree has already made quite a stir! If we continue, we might alert them!"

"We can't rush things."

Jiang He's eyes regained their composure. "The Special Administration Bureau has mobilized all available resources and begun cross-analyzing the interpersonal networks and fund flows of these dens and agents. In addition, Jinhe, Su Meng, and Xing San will continue to monitor external leads. Liu Yu, you will also work with the technical team to cross-analyze the batch information of these drugs."

He looked at Chen Yang.

"Now that you've successfully planted a line with Old Man Du, don't waste this bait."

In a few days, find a plausible excuse to invite him out to scout things out again! But be extremely careful, and absolutely do not reveal your true purpose! As for the stronghold..." Jiang He pointed to the pile of potions.

"Seal all of these items! Have the 'Tiangong' team come and extract and analyze them immediately!"

No one objected. They each took on their assigned tasks, exchanged a few words, and then quickly dispersed to rest.

Over the next few days, Chen Yang perfectly played two roles: a well-connected new "small boss" and a diligent and "well-liked" logistics team leader at the outpost.

During the day, he wore his blue uniform and safety helmet, directing and dispatching passengers in the noisy and busy freight area. He would chat and joke with the drivers and porters who were also wearing work clothes, and occasionally offer them cigarettes and water, appearing to be a very sociable person.

Taking advantage of his position, he was able to more naturally come into contact with some of the junior managers in the outposts, and even take the opportunity to deliver things like delivery lists to the office area on some "unintentional" occasions. He observed the suited managers without making a sound, and silently collected all sorts of trivial information like puzzle pieces.

He maintained a good relationship with Zhao Wenbin, the high-ranking supervisor at the base. Several of his reports and performances satisfied Supervisor Zhao, who turned a blind eye to his freedom of movement.

None of the junior employees doubted that this seemingly easy-going and capable new team leader might have any problems.

A few days later at noon, Chen Yang, who was directing the moving of a batch of valuable and precision instruments on a forklift, suddenly heard Zhao Wenbin's serious voice on the internal walkie-talkie at his waist.

"Chen Yang! Immediately! Hand over your work to your deputy! Go to Logistics Exit 2 right away to pick up the car! You're the best driver. There's a very important VIP pick-up mission at the airport, and we can't schedule another one, so we specifically asked you to go! Remember, the guest absolutely cannot be mistaken! After picking him up, take him directly to Courtyard 1 of 'Cloud Top Elegance'!"
This is a VIP information card! The other party's identity is extremely special, so don't say anything on the way! Go quickly!

The order came abruptly and left no room for argument.

Chen Yang's eyes flickered slightly. Important VIPs? Airport? Cloud Top Residence? That's one of the top-tier, confidential meeting places within the base, reserved for only a very small number of core members!

This might be an excellent opportunity to access higher levels or even directly reach the Heavenly Dao!

He dared not delay, immediately jumped off the forklift, and briefly explained the work to his deputy, Qian Er.

"Two sons!
This box contains precision parts; pack it in the third row of section K according to the list! Be extremely careful not to bump it! I'm going to get a car for the higher-ups!

Forgetting Qian Er's honest yet somewhat excited face and his repeated promises, he took the VIP information card hurriedly handed to him by the front desk assistant and strode towards the dedicated black luxury limousine parked at the back side door.

Soon, a low-key yet luxurious black limousine with a special silver emblem on the front of its hood drove out of the heavily guarded logistics passage of the base, merged into the afternoon city traffic, and sped towards the airport.

Chen Yang, dressed in a well-fitting, crisp work shirt, sat in the driver's seat with a meticulous expression, focusing intently on the road ahead. One hand gripped the steering wheel, while the fingers of the other unconsciously tapped lightly on the leather cover of the armrest.

The car's air conditioning quietly blew cool air, isolating the noise from the outside world.

He wondered if the destination airport and the "important VIP" who was about to arrive would be an unexpected key to unraveling the layers of fog and touching the core of that vast spider web? Or... just the beginning of a more hidden and dangerous storm?
The limousine arrived smoothly at the entrance to the international terminal, with a security level noticeably higher than usual.

Several tall men dressed in matching black suits, with cold expressions, were hidden in the shadows of the pillars and the crowd. Their seemingly casual positions subtly blocked all the best angles for observation and action.

Their sharp eyes scanned every vehicle and person approaching the area, like a flock of silent and wary vultures.

As Chen Yang approached in his special limousine bearing the silver emblem of the stronghold, two men in suits immediately stepped forward, gesturing for him to stop. One quickly scanned the car windows and interior, while the other whispered a few words into a concealed earpiece before nodding.

"Is this Mr. Chen?"

"It's me, ordered to pick someone up."

Chen Yang handed over the special information magnetic card.

A man in a suit took the card and scanned it with his scanner on the silver emblem on the front of the car and the magnetic card. After confirming that everything was correct, he nodded stiffly.

"The target is at the VIP B3 exit. Please park your car in the designated parking space C-7 ahead. A staff member will guide you to meet the target."

The heavy atmosphere and the unapproachable aura emanating from the other party made Chen Yang's heart sink slightly.

This so-called "VIP" status is by no means ordinary!
He parked the car as instructed, and as soon as he opened the car door, a tall and slender man, also dressed in a black suit, silently appeared beside the car door, like a shadow that had materialized out of thin air.

"Come with me."

The other party's voice was flat and emotionless, leaving no room for doubt.

Passing through the dedicated passage and pushing open the heavy soundproof door, there were only a handful of people in the private lounge area at Exit B3.

When Chen Yang's gaze fell on the solitary figure sitting in the center, even with his unwavering resolve, his pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

That's a woman.

An extremely dazzling woman.

She is not a traditional Eastern beauty; her features are deep and exquisite, like a sculpture meticulously sculpted by a classical master, and her skin is as white as snow, with a cold, pale tone as if she has never seen the sun.

Her long, wavy hair, like molten gold, was casually draped over her shoulders, shimmering with a warm, dazzling golden luster under the overhead light.

She wore a deep burgundy woolen trench coat with an excellent cut and a seemingly understated yet luxurious fabric. The collar was slightly open, revealing a glimpse of her fair collarbone.

At this moment, she was looking down at an elegantly designed watch on her wrist. Her long, thick eyelashes cast small fan-shaped shadows under her eyelids. Her posture was graceful and serene, which seemed out of place in this solemn and tense environment, yet strangely attracted everyone's attention.

Seemingly sensing someone approaching, she looked up.

In an instant, it seemed as if all the light in the entire lounge had been sucked away by those eyes. (End of Chapter)